People advised to stay away from Siang river after landslide in Tibet

Authorities here asked people not to venture into the Siang river flowing through Upper Siang district following a landslide in Tibet which could trigger possible floods in the state.

The possibility of floods in the Siang river looms large if the artificial dam, formed by the landslide in the Yarlung Tsangpo river at 10 am Monday breached, according to officials here.

The Yarlung Tsangpo river is known as Siang in Arunachal Pradesh and the Brahmaputra in Assam.

Upper Siang DC Duly Kamduk said in a circular Tuesday that the Department of Disaster Management had informed the Upper Siang district administration about the landslide at the Milin section of the Yarlung Tsangpo river and the possibility of floods in the Siang.

The circular also stated that there has been an unprecedented decrease in the volume of water in the Siang river at Tuting since Monday night.

Advising people to take precautionary measures, the DC asked them not to panic or create panic.

Central Water Commission superintending Engineer of Guwahati-based circle office, Ravi Ranjan said, "The External Affairs Ministry on Monday night informed the Central Water Commission (CWC) about the landslide that occurred in the Yarlung Tsangpo River at the same place where another landslide had occurred a fortnight ago."

There was nothing to panic as only 1.44 meter of water volume had decreased from 10 pm Monday to 8 am Tuesday, Ranjan said.

According to the hydrological data of the CWC, the water level of the Siang River at Tuting is falling at the rate of one cm per hour.

Since it is winter season, the volume of discharge of water in the river would come down by 40 to 50 per cent, the DC said.

(With inputs from agencies.)